Although Daniel Craig is set to star in the next film, Elba appeared to be a frontrunner for the franchise during the Sony hack.

The Daily Beast reported that leaked emails showed Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal favored the actor. "Idris should be the next bond," she wrote.

Controversy followed the rumors when radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh said on his show on Dec. 23 that Bond should be "white and Scottish."

Back in 2011, Elba spoke to NPR about playing the 007. "I just don't want to be the black James Bond," he said. "Sean Connery wasn't the Scottish James Bond, and Daniel Craig wasn't the blue-eyed James Bond, so if I played him, I don't want to be called the black James Bond."